How to Pitch Local Press Before Small Business Saturday
Small Business Saturday is November 28. Between now and then, local TV, neighborhood papers, borough newsletters and gift guides will all be looking for owners to feature. The founders who get those spots are rarely the biggest. They are the ones who made it easy to say yes.
Here is a step-by-step guide to getting your business into that conversation.
Why local press matters this month
A recent report says New York City lost nearly 5,000 businesses. In a tighter market, being visible is not a vanity project. A single local segment or neighborhood feature puts your name in front of the exact people most likely to walk through your door, and it gives you a link you can share for months afterward.
Local outlets also want these stories. Small business coverage is a staple of the holiday season, and producers need fresh faces every year.
Step 1: Pick one story, not your whole business
The most common mistake is pitching everything: your history, your full product line, your mission. Producers and editors do not have time to find the story for you. Give them one.
Strong small business angles usually fall into one of these:
The founder story. Why you started, in one sentence people will repeat.
The neighborhood story. Your block, your regulars, what you have watched change.
The number. Years in business, customers served, jobs created, items handmade.
The holiday hook. A gift idea, a local tradition, a way to shop small that fits the season.
Pick the one that is true, specific and visual.
Step 2: Build a short list of the right outlets
You do not need a database of 500 contacts. You need ten to fifteen outlets that actually cover your neighborhood or your category:
Local TV consumer and community segments.
Neighborhood papers and borough news sites.
Community radio and local podcasts.
Newsletters from your business improvement district, chamber of commerce or merchants association.
Local gift guide writers and lifestyle editors.
Read or watch two or three recent pieces from each so your pitch shows you know what they cover.
Step 3: Write a pitch a producer can say yes to in 30 seconds
Keep it short enough to read on a phone between meetings.
Subject line: the story in under ten words. Example: "Harlem bakery celebrating 20 years this Small Business Saturday."
Three sentences: who you are, why this story matters now, and what they will see if they come.
Availability: two or three specific times you can talk or host a camera.
Contact: your direct phone number and one link.
Leave out attachments. Offer photos on request, or include one link to a press page.
Step 4: Get your proof ready before you hit send
Before a reporter replies, they search you. Make sure what they find matches your pitch:
A Google Business Profile with current hours, holiday hours and recent photos.
A simple press page with a one-line bio, a recent headshot and a few high-quality photos of your products or space.
Social bios that say the same thing your website says.
A phone you will actually answer. Local news moves in hours, not days.
Step 5: Follow up once, then create your own coverage
Send one polite follow-up three or four business days later with a new detail, not a "just checking in." If you do not hear back, do not chase.
Then make your own story. Post a short video of why you started. Share it with your business district and ask them to feature you in their newsletter. Coverage you create still builds the visibility that makes the next pitch land.
A quick checklist
One story, written in three sentences.
Ten to fifteen outlets that cover your area or category.
A pitch that fits on a phone screen.
A press page and an updated Google Business Profile.
One follow-up, then your own content.
If you want help finding your best angle or building a media plan for the holidays and beyond, see how we support founders on our services page.
Ready to talk it through? Book a Coffee Chat with Amore.
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